Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Two new films opened in cinemas this weekend. One is Verity. The other is Digger.
Anne Hathaway is in Verity. It is a thriller. It is from a book by Colleen Hoover.
Tom Cruise is in Digger. Many people did not go to see it.
Verity is number one at the box office. It made a lot of money. Digger made much less.
- film
- a story shown on a big screen
- cinema
- a place where you watch films
- thriller
- an exciting story with danger or secrets
- book
- pages with a story or facts
- star
- a famous actor
- money
- coins and notes you use to buy things
- number one
- the best or first
- weekend
- Saturday and Sunday
Level 2 — Elementary
Anne Hathaway's thriller Verity opened in 3,510 cinemas in North America on Friday and is heading for about 33.6 million dollars over the weekend. That is the second best opening for a movie based on a Colleen Hoover book.
Tom Cruise's new film Digger did much worse. It made only 3.4 million dollars on Friday and is expected to finish the weekend with about 7.5 million dollars.
Warner Bros. had hoped for 12 to 15 million dollars. Reviews of the film were mostly bad, and audiences were divided.
Digger is Cruise's lowest opening weekend since Lions for Lambs made 6.7 million dollars almost 20 years ago. Both new films received a C plus grade from audiences.
- opening weekend
- the first Friday to Sunday that a film is shown
- based on
- made from an existing story
- estimate
- a careful guess about a number
- review
- an opinion about a film written by a critic
- audience
- the people who watch a film
- divided
- split into groups that disagree
- studio
- a company that makes films
- grade
- a score or mark that shows quality
Level 3 — Intermediate
Anne Hathaway's adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestseller Verity has taken the top spot at the North American box office. After 4.5 million dollars from previews, it earned 15.1 million dollars on Friday in 3,510 theaters and is projected to reach about 33.6 million dollars for the weekend, the second best opening for a Hoover adaptation and Hathaway's third number one debut this year.
Tom Cruise's Digger, an R rated black comedy, had a far harder time. It collected 3.4 million dollars on Friday from 3,321 theaters and is estimated at roughly 7.5 million dollars over three days, well under the 12 to 15 million dollars Warner Bros. had been expecting.
That would be the lowest opening of Cruise's career in nearly two decades, since Lions for Lambs took 6.7 million dollars. The film received a slew of negative reviews and divided word of mouth, and, like Verity, a C plus CinemaScore.
The gap matters beyond bragging rights. With a reported budget of 160 to 180 million dollars, Digger would need a vast global run to break even, a long shot after a debut like this.
- adaptation
- a film made from a book or play
- bestseller
- a book that sells in very large numbers
- previews
- early screenings held before the official opening
- projected
- estimated for the future
- slew
- a large number of something
- word of mouth
- opinions spread by people talking to one another
- budget
- the amount of money planned for making something
- break even
- to earn back exactly what was spent
Level 4 — Advanced
The first October weekend at the movies delivered a split verdict. Verity, Anne Hathaway's adaptation of the Colleen Hoover bestseller, is on course for about 33.6 million dollars after a 15.1 million dollar Friday that included 4.5 million dollars from previews, comfortably ahead of expectations and the second strongest launch for a Hoover title.
Digger, the R rated black comedy from Tom Cruise, is the cautionary tale. Friday brought just 3.4 million dollars from 3,321 theaters, and the three day estimate of roughly 7.5 million dollars falls short of the 12 to 15 million dollars Warner Bros. had projected. It would be Cruise's weakest debut since Lions for Lambs in 2007, a notable blow for an actor long regarded as a reliable theatrical draw.
Both films earned a C plus CinemaScore, so the difference lies less in audience reaction than in appetite. Verity arrived with a built in readership and a star in strong form, while Digger asked audiences to embrace a prickly comedy, with reviews that did little to help.
The commercial stakes are lopsided. Digger's reported budget of 160 to 180 million dollars implies a break even point near 300 million dollars worldwide, which now looks very distant. Verity, by contrast, is already a strong proposition for its studio after a better than expected start.
- verdict
- a final judgment or decision
- on course for
- heading toward a particular result
- cautionary tale
- a story that warns people about a risk
- theatrical draw
- a performer who reliably sells cinema tickets
- appetite
- a strong desire or interest
- prickly
- difficult or hard to like
- lopsided
- unevenly balanced
- proposition
- a business plan or offer
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